Hat



Feb. 5, 1929. 1,701,130

G.' H. SIMON HAT Filed March 24, 1925 Patented Feb. 5, 1929.

GERALD H. SIMON, or SAN FnANcIsco, CALIFORNIA.

HAT.

Application led March 24, 1925. Serial No. 17,955.

This invention relates to the art of millinery and particularly to hats and the method of manufacturing same.

My invention is particularly directed to what are called sport hats for ladies and mis es, and an object of the invention is to provide a hat which, while possessing a neat, snappy and dressy appearance, shall be characterized by means inherently posd of form, strength and durability lending qualities that normally function to hold the hat in shape, and which will permit the hat to he flexed, crumpled, folded or crushed, and its walls brought together whereby it can be arranged in a compact package to satisfy the convenience and desires of the user or permit the hat to be arranged for shipment or storage.

A decidedly important feature of the invention is to provide a hat characterized `by means which injects into the finished article a highly desirable, ornamental and attractive pattern, and means whereby the head size of the hat and depth of the crown can be changed instantly to suit varying requirements, and further, the provision of means which gives form retaining quality to the brim.

A still further object of the invention to provide a hat constructed from a. strip of material of suitable width formed of a plurality of braided or plaited strands, the colors of which can be gaged or calculated so that unlimited numbers of paterna can, on determined calucula-tion, be grafted into the .finished article, tho said strip heilig spirally arranged with its wound portions edge to edge and connected together in a manner that will make it appear to the eye that the hat a solid one piece woven structure.

`With the above and other objects in view which will appear asthe nature of the inveution is better understood7 the same consists in the improved construction and novel arrangementof parts which will hereinafter be fully described and particularly pointed out in the claim.

In the accompanyingdrawings has been illustrated a single and preferred form of the invention, it being, however, understood that no limitations are necessarily made to the precise structural details therein ex hibited, but that changes, alterations and modifications within the scope of the claim may be resorted to when desired.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the hat;

Figure 2 is a plan view of a portionfof the braid from which the hat is formed;

Figure 3 is a plan view of what I have called the foundation parts of the braid before samegare interwoven with the other parte;` y

Figure fl is a plan view of portions of two spirals of the braid showing the edge-toedge weave thereof; and i Figure 5 is a .diagrammatic illustration showing the maner of taking up and regulating the depth of the crown. y, n

In carrying the invention into practice, I do not wish to be limited to `thenumber of parts which go into the manufacture of the braid, but I preferably use tive strips or strands of material, two of said strands,

. for instance A and B, being in the form Vof ribbon of suitable width folded zigzag y to provide alternate leads C extending in one direction, and connecting leads D extendingr in an opposite direction. These strands A and B when folded zigzag,` as above set forth are placed one on top of the other or superimposed relatively as shown in `Figure These strands may be of uniform color,

K or, for the purpose of varying the ornamental effect and` pattern which they inject or graft into thefinished hat, same may be of respectively different colors. Variegated ribbons may also `be employed to further multiply the color producing effect.

Inter-laced or woven relatively and` with the strands A and B are` narrow strands 1, 2 and These tive strands areforined by plaiting or weaving same together either b v hand or machine, the latter being preferred in the commercial manufacture Yof hats in large quantities.

The aforesaid five parts, A, B, l, 2 and 3 produce a braldhl able grade and texture, and in practiceI can use silk, felt, cotton, wool or other Ina- .terials, electing those of the textile variety so that the manufactured hat will be of the rough and ready type, so `to s eak, wherein the finished structure can Ibo collapsed, knocked down, folded, rolled or crushed, without disastrous results.

In other words, the combination of parts herein set forth gives to the finished article a very durable quality, one of excellent body which will hold its form when set up for use, and even though the hat may be' rolled,

p e element ofsingle length form. These parts may beof suit i crushed or folded forstorage or otherwise, this does not destroy or in any way hurt the article from a standpoint of extreme durability, form retaining qualities and artistic. and dressy appearance.

The strands l, 2 and 3 may beof the same color, or like the strands A and B, same can be of relatively different colors. In this respect, the combination of colors can be again varied at the discretion or choice of the maker, so that an exceedingly large range of color and pattern schemes can bc carried out and satisfactorily produced with minute exactness.

In the process of weaving the parts A, B and l, 2 and 3, I employ a comparatively loose weave so that said parts stand out prominently and appear somewhat fluffy or tufted-like in the made-up hat. I'Vhen A is of one color and B another, the finished hat will be characterized by uniform squares of green separated by sections of gray, for example. The strands l, 2 and 3 can be of harmonizing colors so as to produce a hat of highly artistic merit. Hats of solid color can be varied by regulating the introduction of colored strands in the manufacture of the braid.

I can again increase the number of pattern producing effects by taking a section of braid following one color scheme and joining it to a braid of another color scheme so that, for instance, the brim of the hat may be different from the crown, or vice versa, or parts of either the crown or brim made with variation as to color scheme and design.

After having produced a braid of uniform width, I take a hat block or suitable form, and, for example, temporarily tack the front end of the braid to the base of the form. I then wind the braid spirally aboutthe form so that the wound portions come edge to edge. In progression with this method of spirally winding the braid about the form, I weave a braid .L (as shown in Figure d) through the folds of the meeting edges ofsaid wound portions. This method carried on continuously until the end of the hat is reached, and I may start from the brim and end at the top of the crown, or vice versa. This method may be reversed, as it is just as easy to start from the crown and go down to the end of the brim, and in this respect I do not wish to be limited. In this manner of securing the edges together, itis difficult to detect a line of demarcation and, to the eye, the hat has the appearance of a solid woven structure.

A hat constructed in accordance with the foregoing' is what is commercially known as the sport type, and it needs no trinnnings, but if desired, a ribbon may be passed around the crown near the brim and woven through parts of the braid and its ends tied in a bow, as clearly shown in Figure l. By using this ribbon I am also able to regulate the head size of the hat.

lVhile I have described that I preferably use textile material, such as ribbon of silk, cotton, wool, or felt or the like, all. of suitable shades and texture, it shall be understood that modifications .within the scope of the hereto annexed claim can be made. I purposely have selected 'the above named materials because a hat of great strength, durability and artistic refinement of the crush or knock-down type can be produced. In cases where this feature is not desired, the materials of which the braid is formed can be varied.

The strands l, 2 and 3 are preferably of tougher and stiffer texture than the strands A and B so as to give stiffness to the finished hat to the extent that the form of the hat is retained without use of a supporting frame.

Interwoven in the folds of the edge of the brim of the hat is a tape 5 which serves to hold the brim in form. It gives certain body to the brim and yet permits same to be readily flexed as desired.

If one wishes to change the depth of the hat, a tuck (S can be made on the right side of the crown as shown in Figure 5 and secured by stitching 7.

I claim:

A hat formed of a single strip of braided material, the braid consisting of 4two flat textile strands, each folded zigzag from end to end, one of said strands being laid upon the other and having its angular-ly disposed straight portions crossing the straight portions of the other strand, relatively narrow strands interwoven with the two first mentioned strands in such manner as to form a plait or braid, said plait or braid being wound spirally to form a crown and a brim, the abutting edges of the braid or plait being united by a cord woven alternately through the folds thereof throughout its entire length.

GERALD H. SIMON. 

